Alexandra Burke will perform the national anthem ahead of England Women’s historic match against Germany at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
The 26-year-old won The X Factor in 2008 and is currently enjoying a spell in the West End as the lead role in The Bodyguard.
To mark The FA’s new partnership with Breast Cancer Care, Wembley’s famous arch will turn pink to help raise awareness of the charity, which aims to make the nation aware of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
The England players will all wear pink laces to show their support and there will be fundraising activity in and around the stadium. All player escorts and flag bearers will wear Breast Cancer Care t-shirts.
The match is England’s first piece of preparation for next summer’s World Cup in Canada and will be played out in front of a record 55,000 crowd. (Unfortunately the number of tickets sold had to be capped at 55,000 because of planned works on local tube lines.)
Burke, a Breast Cancer Care ambassador, said: “I’m a huge football fan and am so excited to be welcoming the women’s team onto the pitch for this Breast Cancer Care International. It’s great to see women’s football drawing in big crowds and I’m wishing the team lots of luck on the day. I’ve seen first-hand just how cruel breast cancer can be after losing my aunt to this devastating disease. Breast Cancer Care’s support services are a lifeline to people living with a diagnosis. One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer, so it’s really important that everyone knows the changes to look and feel for when checking their breasts. Early detection can save lives.”
England forward Toni Duggan said: “It’s great that on a big occasion like this that we can also raise awareness of breast cancer and the great work that Breast Cancer Care is doing. This is an important game for us and we’re all really looking forward to getting out onto the pitch and I know we’ll all be proud to wear the pink laces. A lot of the players are big fans of Alexandra Burke and for her to come and sing the national anthem to support Breast Cancer Care is brilliant.”
Over the next two years, through its new ‘Pass it on’ campaign, the partnership between Breast Cancer Care and The FA will urge people across the country to share life-saving breast health awareness messages to the women in their lives. It calls on women and men to check their breasts so they know what’s normal for them and to be aware of any changes.
The partnership will also fund a brand new Breast Awareness Roadshow in 2015 which will see vital breast health information and support services reaching out to communities with especially low awareness levels of breast health.
To support the partnership please visit Breast Cancer Care.
